A group of notable musicians from Athens, Georgia, have joined forces to raise funds for the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial (founded by Lois Pope) and the CSRA Wounded Warrior Care Project. The bands, which include REM, Widespread Panic (featuring Vic Chesnutt), Drivin’ n Cryin’, Bloodkin, Brute, Dead Confederate, The Whigs, Futurebirds, Ruby Kendrick, Hope for Agoldensummer and Gift Horse, have all contributed singles to raise funds for a planned memorial to disabled veterans on the Mall in Washington, DC and the ongoing care of our returning servicemen and women. The compilation includes both live and album versions of songs from each of the bands, delivered digitally on a pay-what-you-want basis. Music will be made available through the website woundedwarrioralbumcharity.com, grooveshark.com and creativeallies.com.

The project was initially inspired by Dead Confederate’s single “Run from the Gun” which speaks passionately about the human and very personal cost of war.

“The idea for “Run from the Gun” originated while I was studying our mistreatment of Native Americans and looking back at how bloody our short history has been in the United States.” said Hardy Morris, lead singer of Dead Confederate. “The song, and this project, just grew from there as I realized that those same feelings I was having encompassed all wars, because they all have consequences that we don’t think about enough. Wars aren’t just stories in history books, dates on a timeline or names on a page. The human cost of war can be seen in fatherless kids, broken families, lost limbs and the victims we hide away in institutions or who end up homeless for the rest of their lives."